Advanced Nondestructive Methods for Inspection of Canisters for Spent Nuclear Fuel

Sweden has been intensively developing methods for long-term storage of spent fuel from nuclear power plants for twenty-five years. A dedicated research program has been initiated and managed by the Swedish company SKB (Swedish Nuclear Fuels and Waste Management Co.) in collaboration with many research groups in different countries. After the interim storage, SKB plan to encapsulate the spent nuclear fuel in copper canisters with inserts made of cast iron. The canisters will then be placed in a deep repository located at a depth of 500 m in the bedrock. The canisters, when filled with fuel rods will be sealed using electron beam technology.